


No Throne

by Toruviel



Series: This time [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: A one shot, AU, AU of my AU, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Civil War Team Iron Man, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, No Beta, Sort Of, Swearing, Time Travel, Villain Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27511444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toruviel/pseuds/Toruviel
Summary: “There’s no throne here, no version of this where you come out on top.”“Is there not? What do you call this, then?”“This?”“What is this, if not your throne?” Loki all but purred. “What is this, if not the seat of your power?”___A conversation between two clever, cruel beings, targeting soft places and baring uncomfortable truths. A 'what could have been' in my time travel Iron Man series, but can be read as a stand-alone.
Relationships: Loki & Tony Stark, Loki/Tony Stark, Tony Stark & SHIELD
Series: This time [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2010640
Comments: 28
Kudos: 309





	No Throne

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is a one-shot. I'm putting it as a part of my 'This Time' series because it was one of the main reasons I started it, just this scene stuck in my head. But now the next part of the series has developed some serious plot in other directions and this scene would not work, so here it is. Because, apparently, I cannot kill my darlings. And I love me some morally-grey Tony.
> 
> The slash is just hinted at, but I thought I'd warn sensitive readers.
> 
> ALSO! Now there is a RUSSIAN TRANSLATION, thanks to the amazing alpha_hell, available here: https://ficbook.net/readfic/10098260 
> 
> Enjoy.

Tony sipped his drink slowly, taking in the taste, the smoothness. It could, after all, be the last thing he would ever taste.

At least the venue was appropriate. The landing deck of Stark Tower was a great place to drink and watch the world end.

He wondered how long it would take the Avengers to get here. Assuming they would even know _where_ to go, without Tony there to point the way.

Was how all these evil witches in old Disney movies felt, to not be invited to a- ball, was it? Or a christening? Whichever. And he had told Fury, he had bloody well _warned_ him not to play these games, not with the stakes this hight. It would be nice if people _listened_ to him, every now and then, just for a change of peace.

He should just leave them to it, let them face the consequences of their actions. Also for a change.

He sighed and took another sip from his glass.

“All the teams are in place,” Jarvis muttered into his ear, the new implant working like a dream. Then again, _he_ designed it. “Colonel Rhodes and his team are about to secure the roof, with Doctor Banner and his assistants ready to enter and disarm the device.”

Hopefully, his plan would work. Otherwise…

He took another sip, licked his lips after.

There was a sound of footsteps behind him.

“Drink?” he offered.

“Stalling me won’t change anything.” an amused voice came from behind him and damn, Tony had almost forgotten how it sounded, the subtle mockery in it, the absolute confidence…

He swallowed.

“Nor will trying to appeal to my ‘humanity’,” Loki continued.

“Humanity is overrated,” Tony muttered.

“Hmmm. On this, at least, we are agreed,” Loki said, finally coming around him, all black leather and crazed eyes and glowing Stick of Destiny. Like an echo of a bad dream.

Then he stepped closer, _too close_ , and took the damned glass out of Tony’s hand, raising it up and taking a sip himself, his eyes not leaving Tony’s even for a _second_.

Well _. That_ was _different._

“Help yourself."

“I think I shall,” Loki agreed pleasantly. “To your drink, and your planet. To start with.”

Tony snorted.

“Yeah, that’s not gonna roll. You can keep the glass, I’ve got plenty, but the planet… It’s kind of the home base at the moment, most of my investments are here, and I don’t have another one just conveniently lying around, so- Nope. You can’t have it, it’s mine, find another sandbox to play in. This one is taken.”

“Is that so?” Loki muttered with an amused smile and _finally_ took a step back, thank you, personal space. “Yet I did not see you with the rest of Thor’s new shield-brothers, the ‘mighty defenders of Midgard’”

It was kind of impressive, the amount of scorn Loki could pack into a single phrase.

“What can I say? I don’t play well with others.” Tony shrugged loosely, taking a few steps back and then turning to get back inside.

“No,” Loki agreed smoothly. “Neither do I.”

“You don’t say.”

There was a ping in his ears, and Jarvis’ quiet voice: “The roof team has secured the device. Doctor Banner and his team are attempting to bypass the forcefield now.”

Tony hummed, nodding his head absently as he considered the bottles at the bar. He should probably slow down a bit, or at least water his drinks down just in case the alien menace tried something unexpected…

Single malt scotch it was.

“Tell me, Oz the Great and Powerful,” he asked idly, “was there a reason you chose _my_ tower as your launching spot? Or were you just trying to be an asshole?”

Loki laughed, low and pleased. He was closer now, slowly stalking back towards Tony, his leather coat swishing gently with each step.

“Is that what you think?” he inquired, casting Tony an amused look. “That I was merely trying to be difficult?”

“Hey, I’m not criticising, being an asshole is a legitimate reason, as far as I am concerned. I have enough aggressive takeovers under my belt, and then there was that time I destroyed a guy’s favourite pub because he was being a dickhead… Funny times. But still. We’ve never met and it usually takes people at least _one_ exposure to me to start plotting revenge.”

“This is not revenge,” Loki assured him, that damn smirk still in place. “This is making a point.”

“And what point is that?” Tony asked, because really, the whole scenario made no sense, it hadn’t made sense the _first_ time around and going through it all _again_ just put all the plot-holes front and centre. “That you can a pain in the ass? That you have no concept of strategy? Like, I get showmanship, God knows I do, but a start of an invasion doesn’t seem like a good time for fun and games.”

“It’s always a good time for fun and games.”

“Oh, for- There’s no point to this, this whole- ‘bow down and fear me, mortals’ charade. None! There’s no _throne_ here, no version of this where you come out on top.”

Loki smiled.

“Is there not? What do you call _this_ , then?”

What…

“This?”

Loki grinned again, and suddenly he was on the same side of the bar, close against Tony, taking up too much space, reaching out again-

Tony jerked back.

“What is _this_ , if not your throne?” Loki all but _purred_ , what the- “What is this, if not the seat of your power?”

“My _what?_ ”

Loki laughed. It wasn’t a nice sound.

“Do not think me blind and deaf, like my fool of a brother,” he said, almost gently, leaning in even closer. “Of course I have investigated the realm that is going to be my own, _of course_ I have marked its current rulers and lords.”

Tony took a step back and tried to ignore the minuscule space behind him, the wall looming at his back. What was Loki _playing at?_

“Then your eyesight must be _really_ bad, Reindeer Games, because we don’t do ‘rulers and lords’ here on Earth, not in any way that _matters._ Sure, there are a few queens and kings still scattered around, leftovers from the old times, but in general, we prefer democracy. Shocking, I know, but elected leaders are kind of _in_ this season.”

“Paper kings,” Loki snorted with a dismissive handwave. “Puppets of the real powers. Do you think me ignorant, Warsmith? One only has to look to see where the real power lies.”

“I don’t-“

“Who is this realm’s most celebrated warrior, ‘the phoenix raised from the ashes’ to crush his enemies? Whose kingdom, _excuse_ me, whose ‘company’ spins across many lands and peoples? Who has the most wealth, the most resources, who decides on the fate of many by distributing those resources according to his favour?”

“Now wait for just a second-“

“Ask any commoner who would they ask for protection, or advancement, or patronage in their studies, and whose name do they mention?”

Tony swallowed, staring up into these crazy, crazy blue eyes, and tried to ignore the blood rushing through his heart, drumming in his ears. This was-

This was such a bullshit, such an Asgardian way to see Earth, a completely different society, and some things just didn’t translate well- And ok, he might have been rather active on the international scene lately, expanding his business, starting new branches and founding scholarships and so on, but that didn’t mean-

“You’re delusional,” he grunted, finally just pushing past Loki and his crazy one-man show, what was it, even, a villain monologue to confuse the enemy? “You sound like a conspiracy theorist from the Internet, ranting about the evil capitalists. Next you’re going to argue that the Earth is flat and we should all stop taking the evil, evil vaccines.”

Loki snorted, lounging against the bar and observing him with a disconcerting amount of self-satisfaction.

“Have you not challenged the legal authority of these lands and imposed your will upon them? Have you not put a new paper-king on his hollow throne?”

“What, that Senate hearing? That’s…”

Alright, so he might have gone a bit overboard there, but half of these politicians were corrupted and brought by his competitors, and the rest was straight out hailing HYDRA, no way was he going to play ball with them. And President Ellis had proven to be difficult about Iron Man technology and SHIELD’s paranoid warnings, would not listen to Tony’s arguments, so taking SI resources and support away from him and financing another candidate during the elections was the only logical solution, but that didn’t _mean_ -

 _That_. Whatever the hell Loki was implying.

Loki was a crazy space invader and nothing he said could be trusted. The whole point of this conversation was to keep him occupied so they could dismantle his ‘welcome to earth’ invasion gate. He had to remember that.

He glanced up, at the nearby camera.

Jarvis understood. “Doctor Banner has breached the barrier and is attempting to disarm the device,” he muttered into Tony’s ear. “Predicted time: four minutes.”

Four minutes. Four more minutes of this, of-

Of Loki’s bullshit. It was fine, it was nothing, Tony dealt with bullshit and cheap psychological tricks every day before breakfast, he could handle it. No problem.

“I hope I’m not distracting you.” Speak of the devil.

Tony gave him his Press Smile No. 3.

“Not distracting me at all,” he said, taking another sip- Only his glass was empty, damn it, and he didn’t want to risk getting cornered behind the bar again-

“Allow me,” Loki muttered, stepping close again, reaching out for the glass and Tony was damned if he was going to step back _again_ -

Loki touched the glass and it was suddenly full again, scotch glistening between Tony’s whitened fingers.

“Wha… Was that _magic_? Did you just magic more alcohol into existence?”

“In a manner of speaking,” Loki murmured, still standing close, his touch slipping, lingering on Tony’s fingers, moving down to his wrist. “Tell me, do you really think others do not see you for what you are? Are you lying to me or to yourself?”

So Loki would not fall for a distraction, damn him. Tony managed a brittle smile.

“Lying is a time-honoured tradition around here, you should feel right at home. And anyway, other people’s expectations and perceptions are hardly my problems-“

“SHIELD views you as a threat comparable with myself,” Loki said, gentle as a scalpel slipping into his belly, sharp and hot. “They did not call for your aid because they fear you, because they know they cannot control you.”

Tony ground his teeth and wrenched his hand away. Enough of this crap.

“Damn _right_ they cannot control me, and _you-_ “

“And I have no wish to.”

“Then _what_ do you want? What are you trying to achieve, here?”

Loki smiled. It was too wide, had too many teeth.

“The Chitauri are coming, nothing can change it now. No trick, no attack, no defence. Not even your servants’ interference.”

Tony froze.

Just for a second before he got a hold of himself, but damn it all to hell, that had been a second too long.

“I don’t have servants,” he quipped back, carefully casual. “Or minions, before you suggest that. We call them employees down here, otherwise HR makes you sit through sensitivity training videos and-“

“They will not be able to retrieve the Tesseract or stop the portal from opening. This realm will fall. There is nothing you can do to stop it.”

Fuck it with a pogo stick.

“Oh yeah?” Tony ground from behind clenched teeth, his own smile razor-sharp and lethal. “Just watch me, baby. Just watch me.”

And Loki-

Loki surged closer, his own smile, impossibly, widening even more, his eyes flashing, blue and bright and _hungry-_

“I’d love to,” he whispered, just a breath away, well within a sticking distance, Tony really should- “I’d love nothing more. Unfortunately, Thanos gave different orders.”

Tony really should- do something. Step away and repulsor’s Loki’s ass across the room, or fire some missiles at him- or- he really _needed_ to step away from Loki’s eyes and Loki’s looming presence and Loki’s-

Wait, _what?_

“Thanos? Who the _hell_ is Thanos?”

“My king,” Loki purred, only now his tone was all wrong, sat wrong with the flash of fear that Tony could see, plain as day, on his face, because he was still too _fucking close_ -

He took a couple of steps back, almost stumbling, almost-

“Your king?” he repeated, brain fairing up, _finally_ , what the hell had he been thinking? “Your king, your boss, the guy that gave you the army, the Big Bad? His name is Thanos?”

Loki did not reply, did not move, just stood there and watched Tony with that creepy smile…

“And he gave you some orders, regarding _me?_ How does he even know I exist, that makes no _sense_ -“

“You are not the only one cursed with knowledge.”

And _that_ sent a cold shiver down his spine, whatever the _hell_ it was supposed to mean. He wasn’t _cursed_ , he just-

He had just died, alone and betrayed, chocking on his own blood amid Siberian snow. And he had come back, alone and betrayed, chocking on his own blood in a cave, in an older, familiar nightmare.

And he swore he would never, _ever_ allow anyone to do that to him again.

“Thanos knows of you,” Loki said quietly. “Thanos knows everything, _sees_ everything. He knew you’d try to intervene, try to destroy his armada before it could complete its purpose. He planned accordingly.”

…This was bullshit, this was so much- Loki was trying to rattle him, to make him question-

But it had been more than four minutes, hadn’t it?

His eyes flew to the nearest camera.

“Doctor Banner and his team encouraged difficulties,” Jarvis reported immediately. “The device differs significantly from your predictions, sir. They are attempting to come up with a different way to stop it now.”

…Fuck.

“You see?” Loki almost crooned, blue eyes not leaving Tony for an instant, not missing _anything_. “Your resistance is futile. I shall take this realm, and once Thanos has gifted it with balance, I shall rule it. Any opposition will be destroyed.”

Tony forced himself to smile, big and bright and unconcerned.

“That’s what they all say,” he taunted, his pulse racing, heart beating double-fast, the nanites case suddenly heavy against his chest, almost burning- He should just tap it and armour himself, blasting Loki away would improve his day _immensely_ \- “And just how are you going to do that? People on Earth don’t exactly take well to tyrannical foreign rulers.”

-but he needed some info first.

Loki smiled pleasantly.

“They will kneel. Or they will die.”

“Is that how Thanos got _you_ to do his dirty work?”

Loki stilled, at that. Tony watched his every movement, caught the flash of fear on his face, the way his eyes suddenly seemed empty and absent, looking-

Looking like his own, every time he woke up from a nightmare.

… _Fuck._

“Thanos is a great king, a great father,” Loki finally muttered, tone oddly even, eyes still vacant. “Thanos sees what is necessary and does not flinch from it. It is an honour to be allowed to assist him, to become one of his Children.”

Tony clenched his fists, hard, nails biting into his palm, a wave of sudden, slow nausea burning in his gut, his throat-

“Why is he coming to Earth?” he asked quietly.

“To bring you salvation. To balance the scales.”

“What scales?”

“Of life. There are too many beings in the universe, too few resources. Thanos will correct that and save all from a slow, painful demise.”

Do not throw up, do _not_ …

“What does he want with me?”

At that Loki blinked, his face twitching, a slow, hard-edged smile coming to his lips. He stepped towards Tony and held out his hand, palm up.

“An honour he offers you, Tony Stark. To join him and become one of his chosen, one of his Children. To help save the universe.”

What-

…the hell?

“Are you _mad?_ ” he whispered. “Are you _completely-_ I’m Iron Man, I-“

“Thanos know _exactly_ who you are. He, too, knows what it is to lose, to warn and protect and still not be believed, to be betrayed. To rise from the ashes and do what is needed regardless.”

He was going to throw up.

“I’m _Iron Man_ ,” he repeated, rasped, his throat too dry, desert dry, his skin too cold- “I help _protect_ Earth, not-“

“So is Thanos.”

“I protect Earth from _him!_ Him and every other half-baked, megalomanic would-be overlord-“

“You _rule_ Earth. You sit in your hight tower and spread your influence, destroy any opposition-“

“I’m _protecting-_ “

“Protecting it from a threat others cannot see? _Choose_ not to see? Protect it by any means necessary?”

“It’s- it’s not like that, I-“

“Is it not?” Loki muttered with a smile, a smirk, wrong and plastic under these too blue eyes- Tony was going to gouge them out if it was the last thing he did.

“It’s _not_ ,” he growled. “It’s not, it’s- I can’t believe we’re having this conversation, we’re _not_ having this conversation. I’m not going to argue this with you, or with your crazy boss, there’s obviously no point-“

No point and Loki was _obviously_ crazy, his arguments were- Tony wasn’t like that, he _wasn’t-_

“You have Thanos’ respect, Stark, but do not mistake it for weakness. Do not throw away this chance.”

Fuck Thanos with a barbed wire.

“Sir,” Jarvis muttered into his ear, God bless him, Jarvis would have told him if he was acting- if he went too far, Jarvis would have said _something-_ Right? “Sir, Doctor Banner and his team have failed to stop the device. It has activated- five seconds ago, now. There’s a beam of energy leading towards the Earth atmosphere, and… what looks like a wormhole, opening.”

A wormhole.

No, damn it, it couldn’t, _he_ couldn’t do it again-

A wormhole…

Cold, and dark, so dark, no directions, no way out, just a distant flower of the explosion, just his heart beating loudly in his ears, no air, no light, no way _out-_

“Sir? Sir, what are your instructions?”

“Do you see now, Stark? Thanos shall take this realm, and correct it, and nothing can stop it.”

No way out-

“You have one chance to join him and rise, Stark. He shall not offer it again,” Loki muttered, stepping closer, one hand reaching out to touch Tony’s shoulder, his neck… “Do not waste it.”

_Do not waste it._

And suddenly, Tony could breathe again.

“I’m not going to,” he said, _promised_ , then tapped his chest and blasted Loki away as soon as his armour finished forming over him.

He knew what he was. And he was not going to waste his life.

“Jarvis, activate plan Bring It On, send out the alarm. I want everyone to be here yesterday.”

“Yes, sir.”

Deep breaths, in and out.

He could do this.

Even if he hadn’t managed to stop it, even with the portal open, he could do this. He had planned for this, for the worst possible scenario, he had resources to fight back, Army and Air Force just waiting for his call, Rhodey and Iron Legion and the Hulk, and the few other heroes he’d managed to gather and convince that no, he wasn’t an evil overlord, no matter what SHIELD was saying-

(And even if he _was-_ )

He knew what he was. And, even if he wasn’t a hero, he was goddamn _brilliant_ at destroying things.

High time Thanos got the memo too.


End file.
